Predator and Prey
by Lzsmith8
Summary: Repton comes upon something that may change everything for him. Will he accept these changes, or will he turn away from them? Will the one who brings these changes be able to survive Repton? Will he survive her? Read and Find out!


A.N.: I've been sucked into the pairing that is Starling/Repton. I blame myself, 'cause I've always liked the weird ones. Well, we'll see how I do, won't we?

Disclaimer: Storm Hawks belong to someone else. If I owned them, would I be here?

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Predator and Prey

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If there was one thing that guaranteed misery for a Raptor (other than snow), it was rain. Not light gentle rain that soothed and calmed, oh no. Harsh, pounding rain that poured down from the heavens, thundering down on Terra Bogaton as though someone was trying to wash the place away.

This was the stuff currently pounding down on Repton and his squadron, soaking them to the bone and lowering their already sour moods. They road their skimmers across the ground, recklessly speeding across the rugged terrain, trying to get to home base.

Repton rode behind his brothers, his head down, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared straight ahead. As if the rain washing down on him did anything to help his dark mood. The entire week had gone badly, and rain was just icing on the cake.

No, he hadn't lost a battle to the Storm Hawks. So for, his luck had been good on that aspect, but his luck with just about everything else had not been as good. One of his useless brothers, he had yet to figure out which one, had crashed his skimmer into the Bogaton Fortress on Monday, leaving a sizable hole in the front wall. Because it was the middle of the wet season, supplies for rebuilding said wall would not be appearing on his Terra for a least a month.

Then on Wednesday, he had a message delivered to him by none other than Master Cyclonis herself, one suggesting he make an appearance in Cyclonia. Suggestion meant Order when it was from Cyclonis, and Repton reluctantly left home to find out what needed his presence in the red-skied empire, taking his useless brothers with him.

That had been a mistake.

He didn't even want to go over the details again in his mind. _Two _broken chandeliers, an entire hall repainted neon pink, and at least four dozen talons out of commission for the next few weeks, thanks to his incompetent brother's poor cooking skills. Needless to say, the trip had been a disaster, and Cyclonis was not in the happiest of emotions when it came to Repton and the rest of his Raptors. All Repton wanted to do was get home, thrash his brothers a few times, and sleep until it stopped raining.

Absently flicking his tongue, tasting the air, the thick skinned Raptor continued to ride his skimmer across his Terra, pulling his bike into an open field. Automatically shifting into a faster gear, Repton pulled ahead of his brothers, all who quickly moved their bikes aside to let him through.

A hint of a smirk appeared on Repton's face at his brother's movements. Being the most feared Raptor of the Atmos had it's advantages. He flicked his tongue once more just as he reached the end of the field.

_... wait. What was that? _Frowning slightly, Repton tasted the air once more, trying to figure out what the new scent was. At first, there was nothing, just the rain and the leather armor he and his brothers wore. But, underneath that, just the faintest of hints, was something else... _but what was it?_

Releasing a low growl, the Raptor yanked down hard on the brakes, twisting his ride to the side and sending up a wall of mud and rocks as a result of his sudden stop. Spitz, who had been riding behind him, yelped and jerked his bike hard to the side to avoid his elder, which sent up yet another massive splatter of mud and rain.

Repton closed his eyes and sighed as skimmers, rain and Raptors crashed against each other, the Terra, and the mud. Reopening his eyes, he glared disdainfully down at his brothers. "Remind me again _why_ I keep you idiots around?"

Coughing hard, Hoerk slowly sat up, coughing up rocks. Finally, he managed to rasp out, "Because you promised Mother you would, 'member?"

His long tail slashing back and forth angrily, Repton climbed down from his Bone Wing and landed on the ground, letting the mud slosh around at his feet. Growling, the Raptor reached down and grabbed the tail of Leugey, who was half submerged under mud and trapped beneath his own ride. Pulling hard, Repton yanked his flabby brother out from under his skimmer, and once the larger Raptor was on his feet, shoved him into the mud.

"_Idiot_! How difficult is it for you to drive your ride? They're simple! _**Designed**_ for idiots like you who shouldn't even be in the air anyway!" Snarling to himself, the leader turned away from his brothers, trying to control his temper, his long tongue flicking in the air.

Leugey climbed to his feet, whimpering pathetically. "I-I'm s-sorry, Boss. I-I wasn't paying 'tention, add th-then you j-just stop-peded -"

"_Enough._" There again was that faint scent. His useless brothers were only distracting him now, and his instincts were kicking in. Whatever he could smell, he wanted to _find_. Releasing a long breathe that turned into a hiss, Repton snapped, "I will deal with you fools later. For now, get back to the home base." At his brothers' hesitation, the Raptor whirled around. "_**Now!" **_

Watching his brothers trip over themselves as they scrambled about in the mud, Repton tasted the air once more. The scent was still there, but he still could not identify it. _Not death, not fear... what is it? _

Taking a few steps back to avoid the muck kicked up by his brothers' rides, the Raptor turned his attention to a small clove of trees just off the path. The scent was strong in that direction, and... yes, _there_ it was. _It's _not _fear. It's anger. _

Spitz glanced back over his shoulder to make a quick glance at his elder brother. The taller Raptor was stalking away towards a small group of trees, his back bent slightly. The exciting rush of adrenaline gave him the burst of courage he needed, and the smaller Raptor pulled his bike to a stop, letting his brothers roar ahead at he jumped off his ride and started after his leader. Spitz rarely had the opportunity to watch his brother at work, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance now.

Repton smirked in triumph as he silently made his way into the trees. Any other Raptor could not go anywhere silently, but he prided himself on his ability to keep his silence. It had saved his hide, and had given him new ones, more than once. Now this ability came in handy as he made his way through the trees. The scent was more pronounced now, and he knew that whatever he would find would not back away from a fight.

That just made it more interesting.

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Five minutes was all it took for him to find it. To say the least, the Raptor was rather impressed. The camp he had discovered was simple, but efficient, one that existed only as long as it's owner wanted it too.

A small campfire, just a few smoldering twigs and a little circle of rocks. A familiar pair of weapons, dark and useless, the crystal long dead from overuse. Battered blanket, tossed to the side and probably forgotten. And, most unusual, a single white box, it's contents concealed by the lid. This was all there was of the camp, besides the slightly flattened patch of grass where the camp's occupant had obviously slept.

Rolling his shoulders slightly, the Raptor look around, now even more wary than before. As soon as he had seen the weapons, he _knew. _He should have known all along, and was silently berating himself for not realizing.

This camp was _hers_. That damnable woman's. The only one who had ever beaten him in battle. The one who had shown him **mercy** when she had _known_ that, had their situations been reversed, he would have killed her instantly. The one whose name haunted him late at night, as he lay awake staring at the ceiling.

"Sssstarling..." The low hiss that escaped him could not be helped. Now that he knew what- who- he was hunting, suddenly everything was different. Keeping low, the Raptor let his eyes carefully explore the camp once more, searching for the woman. Wherever she was hiding, he would find her.

What he would do with her, well, that depended on what... _condition _he found her in.

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A.N.: Ok, theres the start of my Starling/Repton fic. Where it goes from here, well, you'll have to wait to find out, won't you. If you enjoyed it, if you didn't, if it made you hungry, why not say so. Review and let me know what you thought of my take on Repton.

Review!


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